Hustler Nation: Rags to Riches in America

[RadioRaheem84]

Something I was thinking about. Have you guys ever read the bios of some of the rags to riches stories? They're always touted as the people who came up in the world yet nearly all of them had to hustle their way to the top. Most actors that dropped out of school and moved to LA sold pens (Johnny Depp), drove limos and wore chicken suits (Pitt), lived in their car for months (Jim Carrey). Spielberg used to trespass on the lot of Universal Studios in a suit pretending to be tour guide, I believe, in order to see how films were made and to get his foot through the door. I read about one Senator in Florida who came from Cuba and sold cereal out of his van until he started his own business! Bill Gates and Jobs were tinkering around in their parents basements until they received funding.

Granted they worked hard for what they wanted but how many people in America with families have time, energy, money, strength etc, to endure all that. Not to mention that many go into a life of crime, peddle legal junk, get rich quick scames galore. That's the other half of the rags to riches stories which almost outnumber the people who went the legal route.

The door is so narrow to begin with, why would do people think they can have a family, a steady job and a simple life and get rich too?

[Patchd]

The point isn't that though. The point isn't how hard someone worked 'for their money', because it doesn't remove the fact that currently those of the capitalist class exploits others in society.

Anyway, with all due respect, this belongs in the Politics forum.

Moved to politics.

[Uncle Ho]

I don't know why you'd hold actors up as paragons of hard work.

Your average tradesperson works far harder than an actor ever will, and yet is not paid near the same wage.

[REVLEFT'S BIEGGST MATSER TROL]

Something I was thinking about. Have you guys ever read the bios of some of the rags to riches stories? They're always touted as the people who came up in the world yet nearly all of them had to hustle their way to the top. Most actors that dropped out of school and moved to LA sold pens (Johnny Depp), drove limos and wore chicken suits (Pitt), lived in their car for months (Jim Carrey). Spielberg used to trespass on the lot of Universal Studios in a suit pretending to be tour guide, I believe, in order to see how films were made and to get his foot through the door. I read about one Senator in Florida who came from Cuba and sold cereal out of his van until he started his own business! Bill Gates and Jobs were tinkering around in their parents basements until they received funding.

Granted they worked hard for what they wanted but how many people in America with families have time, energy, money, strength etc, to endure all that. Not to mention that many go into a life of crime, peddle legal junk, get rich quick scames galore. That's the other half of the rags to riches stories which almost outnumber the people who went the legal route.

The door is so narrow to begin with, why would do people think they can have a family, a steady job and a simple life and get rich too?

Its surprising how many of these stories are rather false, you'd expect there to be at least *some* real rags to riches stories the cappies could point too, the fact that they have to claim people like Gates and Jobs (who are both from privileged backgrounds) are examples of this tendency just shows how rarely rags to riches actually happens.